Olmec

Olmec, the first elaborate pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica (c. 1200–400 bce) and one that is thought to have set many of the fundamental patterns evinced by later American Indian cultures of Mexico and Central America, notably the Maya and the Aztec. The Nahuatl (Aztec) name for these people, Olmecatl, or Olmec in the modern corruption, means “rubber people” or “people of the rubber country.” That term was chosen because the Olmecs extracted latex from Panama rubber trees (Castilla elastica) growing in the region and mixed it with the juice of a local vine (Ipomoea alba, moonflower) to create rubber.

Olmec maskJadeite mask, Olmec culture, Mexico, 10th–6th century bce; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.Photograph by AlkaliSoaps. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, bequest of Alice K. Bache, 1977 (1977.187.33)

The chief Olmec sites are San Lorenzo, La Venta, Laguna de los Cerros, and Tres Zapotes in what is now southern Mexico. Much of what is known about the Olmecs was inferred from archaeological excavations at those sites, which have uncovered large earthen pyramids and platforms and monumental stone carvings. The Olmecs are especially identified with 17 huge stone heads—ranging in height from 1.47 to 3.4 metres (4.82 to 11.15 feet)—with flat faces and full lips, wearing helmetlike headgear. It is generally thought that these are portraits of Olmec rulers. Other Olmec artifacts include so-called baby-faced figures and figurines. These display a rounded facial form, thick features, heavy-lidded eyes, and down-turned mouths, and they are sometimes referred to as were-jaguars.

The Olmecs lived in hot, humid lowlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in what is now southern Veracruz and Tabasco states in southern Mexico. The first evidence of their remarkable art style appears about 1200 bce in San Lorenzo, their oldest known building site. This site is remarkable for its many stone monuments, including some of the colossal carved heads mentioned above.

In the late 20th century a stone slab engraved with symbols that appear to have been the Olmec writing system (sometimes called epi-Olmec, or Isthmian) was discovered in the village of Cascajal, near San Lorenzo. The Cascajal stone dates to approximately 900 bce and may be the oldest example of writing from the Americas. Other objects containing glyphs include the Tuxtla Statuette, the Chiapa de Corzo shard, the O’Boyle mask, and the La Mojarra stela (discovered 1986). The last object, which displays 465 glyphs, greatly facilitated the interpretation of the epi-Olmec language, though many questions remain.

The Olmecs developed a wide trading network, and between 1100 and 800 bce their cultural influence spread northwestward to the Valley of Mexico and southeastward to parts of Central America. The constructions and monuments of the Olmecs, as well as the sophistication and power of their art, make it clear that their society was complex and nonegalitarian.

Olmec stylistic influence disappeared after about 400 bce. Not all of the Olmec sites were abandoned, but Olmec culture gradually changed and ceased to dominate Mesoamerica. See alsoMesoamerican civilization.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper, Senior Editor.